


Whispers of Dawn

by SansThePacifist



Series: Naruto Stories [18]
Category: Naruto, Naruto Shippuden
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst?, Character Death, Dark Undertones, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I tried for humor, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Not A Fix-It, Not Canon Compliant, Not a ship-fic, Root - Freeform, Uzumaki Naruto-centric, Uzushiogakure | Hidden Eddy Village, after the pain/pein attack, secret santa gift, they all become missing-nin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 03:45:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17195885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansThePacifist/pseuds/SansThePacifist
Summary: He found Kakashi at his favorite training ground doing- you probably guessed it- no training. It was a quiet day, a nice contrast to his raging thoughts. Still, he would have to ruin the silence. Despite how troublesome it may be, it was his duty as a shinobi to protect the village and its people. "The weeds had spread enough that roots have started stealing from the plants around them," Shikaku had said lightly, "Soon the animals might need to leave their box." Kakashi glanced over his book, no-doubt catching the double meaning."Maa, Shikaku-san. My fox might not be able to survive out in the wild, who knows if the tamer taught it enough. Besides," The Hatake turned the page but the Nara knew that he wasn't reading it anymore, "Where would my flowers go?"





	Whispers of Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Secret Santa Gift for Archie (A member on BeetleBee / Sloaners Discord server)!

Danzo was Hokage. Shikaku had tried- he really  _ did-  _ to convince the Daimyo that there were better choices, but the council seemed dead-set on getting Danzo in a position of higher power, but there were only so many things he could do without breaking some sort of law or agreement. There was also something that he had to be missing, after all, his plan went sideways and he got cornered. 

He could at least use a few loopholes that Danzo would be sure to patch up soon, with or  _ without  _ the help of the Nara’s, and- despite Naruto being a hero- Shikaku was sure that he would take away any of his free-will. It was troublesome, but he knew better than to lie there and watch the village burn.

 

He found Kakashi at his favorite training ground doing- you probably guessed it- no training. It was a quiet day, a nice contrast to his raging thoughts. Still, he would have to ruin the silence. Despite how troublesome it may be, it was his duty as a shinobi to protect the village and its people. "The weeds had spread enough that roots have started stealing from the plants around them," Shikaku had said lightly, "Soon the animals might need to leave their box." Kakashi glanced over his book, no-doubt catching the double meaning.

"Maa, Shikaku-san. My fox might not be able to survive out in the wild, who knows if the tamer taught it enough. Besides," The Hatake turned the page but the Nara  _ knew _ that he wasn't reading it anymore, "Where would my flowers go?"

"They are a fairly sturdy type, anywhere could do."  _ So long as they didn’t run out of chakra. _ Kakashi hummed.

"The fox does like the flowers quite a lot, maybe we could find a new garden for them both."

"Is that your decision? Your fox is quite unpredictable." The two genius' made eye contact.

"It's a fox," Kakashi drawled, "Of course it is."

“And if it tries to stay?”

“Maa,” The Hatake began to deflect, “Shikaku-san, I didn’t know you were so interested in my garden. Maybe you should visit sometime, I’ll even make some tea for you.”

“Too troublesome,” The Nara yawned.

 

Naruto woke up to something tapping against his tent and groaned. He was tired, what time was it? He blinked a few times, turning over to look at the entrance. Very little light came through the slits in the fabric, so it must have still been some time during the night. No. He wanted to  _ sleep. _ He huffed and covered himself, once again, in the blankets that he must have shed at some point during the night. “Five m’ minutes, ‘ttebayo.” He mumbled, not ready to be awake so early. The tapping intensified.  _ Dammit. _ “Wh’dya want?” He got up, wrapping himself in the blankets, and walked out to check who kept tapping on his tent.

 

He came face to face with one of his teachers, “‘Kashi-sensei?” The man nodded. “What d’ya need?” His teacher began to stand straight and Naruto immediately did the same, aware of the serious glint in his eyes. 

“You need to leave Konoha.”  _ What. _

“What?” No way! “Nuh-uh! You aren’t tryn’a get rid of me for losing control; are you? Otou-san fixed that, dattebayo, there sh-” Kakashi shook his head so he shut up.

“No…  _ No. _ That isn’t the problem. Or, at least it isn’t for me; I couldn’t say the same for our new Hokage.” 

“New ‘kage? What about Baa-chan?”

“She is in a  _ coma, _ Naruto, someone has to keep control of the village.” 

“Why?” It was stupid! Tsunade was  _ strong, _ she would be able to wake up before anything bad could happen, he was  _ sure _ of it. 

“Balance. Without a kage, another village could see our weakness and attack.” Oh. He frowned.

“So why do I need to leave?”

“ _ Naruto, _ ” Kakashi-sensei stressed, “Danzo wants you to do nothing but fight in wars. You  _ need _ to leave.” 

“But- But my friends! This is my  _ village, _ dattebayo!”

“It was,” Kakashi agreed, “But it's his now and you  _ need _ to leave.”

“How can I protect my friends if I'm not there?” There was a pregnant pause.

“Gather all your weapons, anything of importance, and all non-perishables that you have access to.”

“Sensei?”

“Meet outside the eastern entrance at two am  _ sharp, _ be sure not to be seen. I will be there to meet you.” And the man vanished. Naruto swore colorfully.

 

Non-perishables… Non-perishables… The village only had so much and he felt absolutely horrible at filling up the storage scrolls that he knew he was lucky to understand. Hiding the cans, jerky, and smalls bags of rice was so much easier without the risk of dropping them all over the place and causing much more of a ruckus. It was also a good thing that he was great at hiding when he wanted (or needed) to, without that he would have been found and (probably) punished. Konoha needed the food and, mean hokage or not, he loved his village and its people. He took enough to sustain him for at least half a year and refused to take any more than that, stuffing the scroll into his jacket before zipping it up- ninja skills at it’s finest- and slipping away.

 

By the time Naruto ran up to the entrance, five people were waiting for him. He had hesitated, still hidden by the shadows, before realizing that Kakashi-sensei was with them and that the rest of them (except Shikamaru) were Team 8. “Sensei,” He whispered, “You brought others?” And the man nodded.

“I can explain later,” He responded, scanning the area for danger, “For now, we need to get out of the Land of Fire.” He nodded before following their leader into the forest.

 

It wasn't long before Shino's insects had alerted him of a squadron following them, “A group of six,” The teen stated, “They seem to be quite swift.” Hinata nodded, Byakugan active, and stuttered.

“Th-There is another group to our five o'clock, Kakashi-sen-sensei.” Akamaru barked in agreement while Kiba seemed to be getting irritated.

“Numbers?”

“F-four.” Kakashi stopped, raising a hand to halt them as well, and Naruto found himself freezing.

“They're here.” As if they had been summoned, men with blank masks jumped out of their hiding spots as more caught up and surrounded them. An ambush, they had been looking behind, not ahead. Naruto could see Shikamaru assessing them, flicking his gaze every so often when he got a suitable answer.

“Shikamaru?” His sensei asked, lowering his hand to grab some kunai as the other reached up to show his sharingan.

“Eleven, six, two, eight, nine, then three.” The Nara yawned, blinking the sleep out of his eyes, as if he hadn't been running secondary earlier. “Take the others out afterwards.” Kakashi gave Shikamaru an eye-smile before throwing two kunai underneath a branch and missing one of the masked men- who seemed almost disappointed- and tugging as they started charging. They fell over an invisible wire that made blood stench the air and Kakashi soon vanished in a flicker and displacement of leaves.

“Shit!” Kiba swore, ducking underneath a sword as Akamaru bit at the attacker's armpit, retreating with a crimson maw and sharp teeth borne in a snarl. The ROOT member jumped backwards as another took their place and Naruto blasted holes through trees, somehow missing them with every attempt. 

Hinata bore her fists and blue tigers began to form, chakra humming as she built it up and roared when she released it, making three masked men drop to the floor as if their strings had been cut.

Shino had swarmed some of the ROOT members and sanctioned them off from the others before draining their chakra and letting them drop to an area where his insects had already fled.

Eventually, they were surrounded by more than they could chew and Kakashi was not having any of that. “I can handle them,” He had yelled, firing up a chidori, “Go.” The others had jumped away with that order, trusting the Hatake.

“But sensei!” Kakashi-sensei glared at him and Naruto felt  _ afraid. _

“I said  _ go, _ Naruto.” And his throat went dry. He couldn't lose another. “Don't worry, I will follow.” 

“You-I'll hold you to that, dattebayo!” He jumped away and the forest sang with lightning.

 

He ran until his feet got sore, until he the sight of sand had pulled him out of his stupor, and waited. He waited for his teacher to catch up, for him to say that he was alright and show the way. He waited until Hinata started shivering under her cloak and the sun had set, he waited until the tide began to rise and the stars made patterns on the waves. He waited until his eyes refused to stay open and he fell into a restless sleep.

When the sun began to rise, he continued to wait, searching through the wildlife for some sign of the man. He waited until Hinata shook her head and Shino seemed almost solemn; until Shikamaru sighed and ordered them to pack up and cover their traces. He waited and waited and  _ waited. _ He waited until he was pulled away, kicking and screaming, and he felt, for the second time, no chakra signature from his teacher.

 

Shino had, surprisingly, been the first to mention that they were probably missing-nin. “Why?” He said, “We had left the village without permission.” And Naruto had denied it at first, laughing as if it was some sort of joke, before his laughter turned to tears and Kiba slapped him on the back. 

“Let it out,” Shikamaru stated, something sympathetic behind the words, “Bottling up emotions won't help us in the long run.” 

“I'm-” He wiped away his tears and started walking away, “I'm fine, ‘ttebayo, there's nothin’ to let out.” As he continued to go forward, the wind seemed to sing for him and the eyes on his back were less searing.

 

Naruto didn't talk for hours after that, deep in thought, but when he did it was something the group of missing-nin could all agree was idiotic. “D-danzo is- He's a whole different b-beast than Pain, Naruto-kun.” Kiba snorted.

“He doesn't smell right, even Akamaru agrees- Don't you, boy?” The large dog made a sound of agreement and Shino nodded. 

“Going after him would end in either your death or capture. Why? Danzo has an army that even Kakashi-sensei could not defeat half of.” Naruto frowned.

“I have to try, though!” Hinata opened her mouth to say something.

“Hah!” Kiba laughed bitterly, “Try to what? Talk him off the seat? He could beat you any day, dead last.”

“He has larger numbers,” Shikamaru murmured, exhausted, “A nation of people under his command. He has power that would overcome us in a second and he was an active shinobi, so he also has experience. You would be dead before you got close enough to talk to him.” Naruto didn't like admitting defeat, but Shikamaru was smarter than Sakura (maybe) and she was smarter than Naruto (for sure) so the Nara was probably right. 

 

They came across Sasuke, who had a team of three behind him, and Kiba almost charged him. “Stop,” Shino ordered, walking between the groups, “What are you doing here?” Sasuke's dead eyes flicked to Naruto's hita-ate. 

“So the rumors are true,” He drawled, “You all left Konoha.” Naruto clenched his fists. “About time you did, it is a prison there.”

“Sasuke! Sakura is still there she- She is  _ waiting _ for you.” A pregnant pause.

“You seem to think I care,” The girl with red hair seemed to almost swoon as the Uchiha reached for his sword, “Naruto.” Insects rose around Shino, Shikamaru straightened, and Hinata activated her Byakugan, sliding into gentle fist.

“Sasuke!” He yelled, “I c- _ can't _ take you to Konoha-” Said man blinked. “-But I can sure as hell ask you to join the group, dattebayo!”

“What.”

“What?”

 

Two Uzumaki's, a Uchiha, a Nara, an Aburame, and a Hyuuga walk along a sandy beach. Nothing really interesting happened until Naruto found out that,  _ yes, _ Karin was family and,  _ wow,  _ he actually wasn't alone anymore! Incidentally, Karin also found out about a giant fox. Not related though, nope.

 

At some point, Naruto had started to lead the group, Karin following him with almost as much determination and the others unaware of where the Uzumaki's must be taking them. Either way, the shoreline had muscles that often stayed on rocks and plants that were probably edible, so- as the days passed- food wasn't much of a concern. It wasn't until they saw a string of islands and waters that seemed to glow that they began to think that maybe there was a reason they were walking that way. Naruto kept walking until they knew for sure that the water was  _ actually _ glowing and they became aware that they were surrounded by whirlpools.

_ Home. _

Naruto stopped and looked across the ocean before walking into the ocean.

_ My Hier, _ The oceans sang, luminescent blue waters swirling at his feet and clinging to him in the eve. It kept pulling him towards strange yet oddly familiar designs in the soil, each tug gentle and the wind pushing against him from nowhere,  _ Welcome Home. _ He touched the designs-  _ seals, _ something in him screamed then, loud and clear and  _ ringing- _ and the sand beneath him became a red path, lined with faded gold. Without thinking, he started running towards where the bridge led, ignoring the shouts from behind him as his sandals pounded against the red bridge. 

_ Welcome Home, _ the trees laughed and earth rumbled. A storm was brewing on the horizon but it was still beautiful to him, the sight of bright blues and golden trimming, of reds with oranges in between. He had laughed with tears in his eyes and knew what he was going to do with his life.

It was time to rebuild.

**Author's Note:**

> Unsaid & Implied Facts;  
> \- Sakura didn't like the idea of being forced out of Konoha by her teacher and instead stood her ground and insisted on staying. She stays to work in the hospital and later joins Naruto is Uzushio when an assassination attempt on Danzo goes wrong.  
> \- Kakashi was killed by ROOT, his eye was stolen and returned to 'Madara'. He fought until the end.  
> \- Shikaku also got killed for refusing to follow Danzo, a Nara from ROOT ended up replacing him (he wasn't nearly as good).  
> \- Danzo does try more than once to get Naruto back, but he ends up underestimating Naruto and his group.  
> \- Naruto becomes Uzukage after befriending Kurama.  
> \- Gaara supports the village via trade routes and donations.


End file.
